Tens of millions of people will now have their BMI checked and recorded by the NHS annually. The regulator has announced that everyone in England and Wales living with long-term conditions such as diabetes and heart disease should have their body mass index recorded at least once a year.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said an additional waist-to-height ratio measurement will be taken for people with a BMI below 35 - to flag those not carrying lots of extra weight but who are still out of shape. The draft guidance for the NHS is intended to help medics intervene with support to stop more serious or life-threatening conditions developing as a result of them being overweight or obese.